Mercedes News-Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, February 8, 1935 Page: 1 of 8
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VOLUME XXII.
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Our Home
1 own
By The Editor
Patrols
lroops
191O: TWEVIY-FIITHI ANNIVERSARY: 1935-
*============================-------------------------------------------: ---------------2
Seen on Texas
Mercedes Boy Scouts Join Million
BULLET STUART discuss-
advertising.
address one million Seont
+ho
Citizer
ant
Artrors Aris-Gribune
play,
ing
Plans Are Started
For Sunken Garden
At West Approach
Dr. and Mrs. H. C. Douglass
Moving To Odessa, Texas
13 Water Districts
Name Freight Rate
Committee Members
Valley Orchardists
Will Hear Nation’s
Citrus Authorities
Big Cotton Acreage
Increase Expected
In Mercedes Section
tion Of South Texas State
Teachers Association.
Mercedes Shipping
Total Reaches 675
Cars Wednesday
Interest Increases
In Community Lease
Agreement Project
Mercedes Junior
Basketball Team
County Champion
Cupid Wins Again At
Capitol Theatre.
Mrs. Sima Philman Dies
At Home Of Daughter,
Mrs. Melvin Giese, Elsa
Ira I. Myers Named
President Of Water
District Directors
Nine Senior Teams Will
Play For County Champ-
ionship Here Next Week.
Lilly Pool Complete, Trees
And Shrubs Planted At
East Approach To City.
$43.13 Is Net Return
From President’s Ball
Held In City Last Week
Number Of Producers In
Samfordyce Field Reach-
es 32 Early This Week.
City Continues To Lead Val-
ley; Cabbage, Carrots,
Fruit Bulk Of Movement.
INDUSTRIAL CANVASS
OF CITY BEING MADE
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
SINCE 191
through Scouting
Complete Program Is An-
nounced; 2000 Expected
To Attend 4th Institute.
Rotarians Will Have
Ladies As Guests At
Tuesday Night Feast
Adventure, Hiking
Lumping, Swimming
Wooderali Handicraft
Fellowship ■
Health wou/ Solefe
Service T Other,
Progress Is
Reported On
All Projects
Meetings For Hidalgo
County Corn And Hog
Farmers Announced
300000000000000
3 NRA ,
___‘ - MERCEDES, TEXAS, FRIDAY; FEBRUARY 8, 1935. NUMBER
C OUTLINES NEEDS OF MERCEDES
Mercedes Rotarians will hold their
annual ladies night banquet in the
school cafeteria Tuesday night of
next week, according to plans com-
pleted at the regular weekly lunch-
eon meeting of the club Tuesday
noon. There will be no noon meet-
ing next week.
E. H. Poteet had charge of the
program on "Lives of Distinguished
Men” presented at the Tuesday noon
luncheon. Frank L. Hall reviewed
the life of Charles A. Lindbergh; D.
R. Johnson talked on the life of
Thomas A. Edison; and John L.
Bruce discussed the life of Abraham
Lincoln.
Visiting Rotarians at the meeting
were W. C. Urban of Granite City
Illinois and Jess Sewell of Weslaco.
Miss Emanyn Johnson.
The ticket office of the Capitol
Theatre in Mercedes seems to be a
favored spot with Dan Cupid. Miss
Emanyn Johnson, for the past six
months employed in that place, will
become the bride of Carl McKinney
Sunday morning. Six months ago
Miss Helen Wood gave up her work
in the ticket office to become the
bride of Buddie Watson.
Plans were completed for the plac-
ing of signs on the highways enter-
ing the city from the north and the
south and a large sign at the city
park. The sign at the park will
contain the name of the city in large
letters; the emblems of the Rotary
and Kiwanis clubs and the meeting
(See PROGRESS, Page 8)
000000000000000
8 In The
9 Rio Grande o
8 Valley §
000000000000000
United States will stand and repeat
the Scout oath and law, after which
President Roosevelt, a Scouter of
many years standing, will give the
anniversary address.
The Scout broadcast program will
be followed in the local Scout meet-
ing by a court of honor and pre-
sentation of Scout awards; introduc-
tion of local scout officials and
troop officials; a story of early life
in Mercedes by John L. Bruce; re-
tiring of colors by Troop 40 and
benediction led by Troop 14 in
charge of Scoutmaster Ray Schmit-
A depth of 3,449 feet had been
reached in the Union Sulphur Com-
pany’s No. 3 American Rio Grande
Land and Irrigation Company oil
well early Thursday morning, a
depth progress of 2,181 feet in the
past seven days. The drilling is now
in shale and lime.
The new oil well is located six and
one-half miles north of Mercedes on
Baseline and is just 200 feet north
of the No. 2 well which was tempo-
rarily abandoned at a depth of 8,044
feet where the drill stem stuck.
Plans for a deep test well for this
community on acreage signed in a
community oil lease agreement is
progressing. Herbert A. Dennis,
financier of Peoria, Illinois, met
with about 45 property owners and
other interested parties at the home
of Ray Foncannon east of Mercedes
Tuesday night. 5 Mr. Dennis stated
that there were several drilling con-
cerns interested in putting down a
deep test well if sufficient acreage
is signed in the community agree-
ment.
Approximately 2,000 acres had
been signed by Tuesday night and
about 400 more, owned by people
(See OIL WELL, Page 8)
CHARLES SALADINO displaying
new Grunow boxes. Lots of Merce-
des school teachers leaving late
Thursday afternoon for San Benito.
Lots of the teachers preparing to
leave Friday for Laredo. RAY
STERN renewing his subscription
to the News-Tribune to BILL
ONDERDONK. GENE BROWN
Twenty-five members of the Mer-
cedes school faculty are attending
the annual convention of the South
Texas State Teachers Association
which is being held in Laredo Fri-
day and Saturday of this week end.
Mercedes schools are dismissed Fri-
day in order that the teachers might
attend the convention. -
Mercedes superintendent of
schools, E. H. Poteet, is president of
the association and is presiding at
the convention. Miss Amy Cornish,
instructor of English in the Merce-
des high school will appear on the
program of the English Section
giving a paper on “The Place of the
(See FACULTY, Page 8)
Meetings of Hidalgo county corn-
hog farmers have been announced
for the following places: Monday,
February 11, McAllen chamber of
commerce building at 8 p. m.; Tues-
day, February 12, Weslaco city hall,
8 p. m.; Wednesday, February 13,
Edinburg Chamber of Commerce,
8 p. m.
The purpose of these meetings is
to explain the eligibility of produc-
ers to sign the 1935 Corn-Hog con-
tract. The manner of making ap-
plication for a 1935 contract will be
discussed and the general features
of the program defined.
It is urged by the County Agent,
R. G. Burwell, that all farmers in-
terested in the growing of corn and
the producing of hogs in 1935 be
present and on time at the meeting
place most convenient for him to
attend in order that he may become
thoroughly familiar with the 1935
Plans are now being drawn for a
sunken garden to be' planted just
north of the highway at the West
approach to Mercedes, according to
Mrs. J. C. Lear, city beautification
chairman. Mrs. Lear has appoint-
ed a ways and means committee
composed of one representative
from each of the civic, study and
fraternal organizations in the town
to raise the funds or obtain the ma-
terials needed for the project.
Trees, shrubs and flowers have
been planted, a lilly pool completed,
(See PLANS, Page 8)
Citrus Institute Opens In Edinburg Tuesday
* * * * * * * * *% *** * * * * * * * +€.
Mercedes No. 3 011 Well Reaches 3,449 Foot Depth
Acreage planted to cotton in the
Mercedes community in 1935 is ex-
pected to show a large increase over
the last season’s acreage according
to reports of local ginners, the
amount of predicted increase vary-
ing from 25 to 50 per cent.
W. C. Ross, Jr., manager of the
Traylor Gin Company, states that
some few growers have already pur-
chased their seed and are planting
but the heavy planting will not get
underway until the last of February
or the first of March.
W. L. Hilton of the Hilton Gin
Company advises that growers plan-
ning to plant.cotton this season first
(See COTTON, Page 8)
Mercedes shippers moved 60 car
loads of fruit and vegetables by rail
in the past seven days bringing this
station’s total shipments for the
season to 675 cars. Fruit, cabbage
carrots, beets and some spinach con-
tinue to make up the bulk of the
shipments with small amounts of'
parsley and turnips.
At the last Missouri Pacific and
Southern Pacific reports of ship-
ments leaving the Valley February
2 Mercedes continued to hold the
(See SHIPMENTS, Page 8)
A display in the Harrel Drug
Store window of a great variety of
articles made of native wood and
most of them the work of Mercedes
persons attracted much atten-
tion and comment. The exhibit in-
cludes chessmen, jewel boxes, canes,
book ends, lamps, stands and many-
other articles of interest. Many of
them show exceptional skill and fine
workmanship on the part of the
maker.
Ira I. Myers of Weslaco was elect-
ed president of the 1935 board of
directors of the Hidalgo and Cam-
eron Counties Water Control and
Improvement District No. 9 at a
meeting of the board held in the
district offices here Saturday. L. V.
Kiester of Weslaco was elected vice
president and H. H. Adkins of Ed-
couch, secretary. Other members
of the board are A. F. Hendricks of
Mercedes and Lee J. Hartzell of
Weslaco.
The new officers succeed Mr. Ad-
kins as president; Mr. Hartzell as
vice president and Mr. Meyers as
secretary.
Mrs. Sima Philman, 54, died at
the home of her daughter, Mrs.
Melvin Giese of Elsa, Wednesday
afternoon at 3:05 o’clock. Funeral
services will be held from the chapel
of the Martin-Nelson funeral home
in Weslaco Friday afternoon at 2:30
o’clock with the Rev. Reck of the
Weslaco Lutheran Church officiat-
ing. Burial will be made in the
Weslaco cemetery.
With a huge three day program
containing the names of more than
25 citrus authorities from all over
the country, the Fourth Annual Tex-
as Citrus Institute will open its
doors February 12th at 1:30 P. M.
The place of meeting will be in the
college auditorium.
According to F. T. Bingham, citri-
culturist of the college and originat-
or of the institute idea, the big Ed-
inburg gathering will bring before
the growers an array of profession-
al citrus men never before assembl-
ed in the Valley. Men of national
and even international repute will
be brought to the Valley for this
occasion.
At this early date, workers of the
Institute predict a crowd to exceed
2,000. Interest is being manifested
.everywhere, they say. For never
again will growers have the oppor-
tunity to hear so many citrus ex-
perts lecture upon the many phases,
of the citrus industry.
One of the shining lights of the
program is Prof. Robt. W. Hodgson
of the University of California.
Prof. Hodgson, formally a Texan,
has been in professional citrus work
in California for many years-and is.
considered one of the foremost
authorities in the world. With the
exception of a few last minute ad-
ditions, the 1935 Institute program
of speakers and- subject matter fol-
lows:
“Soil Alkali Problems”, Dr. P. S.
Burgess, College of Agriculture,
(See INSTITUTE, Page 8)
The Mercedes Junior basketball
team, coached by H. L.'Schmalzreid,
won the Hidalgo county champion-
ship, at the tournament held in
Donna last week end. The Tiger
cubs met the Donna Juniors in the
finals Saturday night, defeating the
latter by the close score of 28-22.
The district tournament is expected
to be played about February 15-16,
The Mercedes' senior basketball
team, with eight other senior teams
of the county, will contend for the
county championship in the Merce-
des school gymnasium next week
end, Friday and Saturday, February
15 and 16. “The locals have a fair
chance of winning the champion-
ship” states Coach Cecil S. Bean
who points out that the Tigers have
met every team entered excepting
(See BASKETBALL,. Page 8)
Forty-three dollars and thirteen
cents is the net returns from the
Mercedes Second Annual President’s
Birthday Ball held at the Mercedes-
Weslaco clubhouse on Wednesday
night of last week, according to L.
F. Boling, general chairman, and
Charles Hupp,, treasurer for the
fund.
Of the $43.13 total $13.13 will be
sent to President Roosevelt to be
used for infantile paralysis research
work and the remaining $30 will be
kept in Mercedes for use in rehabili-
tation and treatment of infantile
paralysis victims in this community.
The committee which will have
charge of the disbursement of this
fund is composed of J. C. Lear,
chairman, E. A. Brown, Dr. A. L.
Kline, Dr. E. G. Smith, Dr. J. W.
Chambers, Dr. Newton H. Bowman,
Dr. Jarion Lawler and Bill Dailey.
Display Of Native Wood
Articles In Harrel’s \
Attracted Attention
ELSA. SUNDAY afternoon at 2
o’clock will be on the radio over
KRGV. Since last September the
News-Tribune editor has been put-
ting on programs each Sunday after-
noon and for the next 90 days at
least will come on at 2 o’clock each
Sunday afternoon. Next Sunday his
program will be sponsored by the
Vahlsing Company of Elsa. In ad-
dition to telling about' Elsa and
Mercedes, the writer is going to give
a description over the radio of the
recent banquet in Washington by
Vice-President John Garner in honor
of President and Mrs. Roosevelt. Mr.
and Mrs. John Shary of Mission at-
tended the banquet for the president
and cabinet members, and Tuesday
afternoon in Mission the writer in-
terviewed Mr. Shary for the purpose
of giving a complete description of
this banquet which attracted nation-
al attention to the radio listeners of
KRGV. You are cordially invited
to tune in at 2 o’clock Sunday after-
noon.
ELSA, ONE OF THE chief towns
in Mercedes’ vast trade territory,
added four new business institu-
tions in the past week. The writer
was at Elsa Saturday and worked
up a page advertisement among the
business establishments of that
thriving little city. Elsa is proud
that she led the Valley last year in
total shipments. Of course, the rea-
son for this was that the' F. H.
Vahlsing plant shipped more than
1100 cars to New York City. Elsa
now has a most modern fruit juice
canning plant operated by Engelman
Gardens; a new hardware store, a
new electrical shop, and a new
beauty parlor. The Canal Bank at
Elsa is one of the best appointed in
the Valley. The Elsa Cafe, owned
by Bill Wyman, is. quite an institu-
tion, and does a tremendous busi-
ness. Mr. Wyman has a first rate
museum and a typical pool hall in
connection with his. cafe. Wood’s
Grocery and Market, formerly of
Mercedes; Wilson’s Drug Store, Don
Graham’s Temple Manufacturing
Co., and Temple Lumber Co., are
among the other interesting busi-
ness establishments. At Elsa it is
all one family; everyone seems to
be for everybody. The non-com-
missioned mayor of Elsa is Melvin
A. Giese, whose home is saddened
today on account of the death of
Mrs. Giese’s mother. Melvin, with-
out making any effort whatever, by
his kindness and fairness to all,
rules Elsa as thoroughly as Huey
Long rules Baton Rouge. As man-
ager and part-owner of the Vahl-
sing company, as Melvin goes, so
goes Elsa.
Dr. and Mrs. H. C. Douglass and
children are planning to leave this
week end for Odessa, Texas where
they will make thei rhome. Dr.
Douglass has been a practicing
physician in this city for a number
of years and both he and Mrs. Doug-
lass have been active in civic and
social activities of the community. -
POTEET driving
C. Of C. Plans Trades Days;
Signs Will Be Placed On
Mercedes Highways.
MRS. J. C. LEAR being compli-
mented for her good work on beauti-
fying Mercedes. BILL DAILEY get-
ting in some new material for his
splendid little library at the Harrel
Drug Company. ADOLPH ZAS-
TERA happy that the farmers are
replanting so many vegetables.
MRS. T. H. DUNCAN returning
from Fort Worth. MACK Mc-
DONALD being congratulated upon
his anniversary. MISS MARY-
ETTA BROOKS discussing the
President’s dance. MISS RUTH
ROLLINS and MISS NITA CUL-
WELL being given passes to the
CAPITOL THEATRE merely by
calling at the box office. MISS
CHIC SAYLES preparing for a
couple of big banquets next week.
ABE BAUM leaving for New York
and other points to buy spring ap-
parel. GORDON’S dry goods store
getting in lots of new spring
merchandise. LOUISE DRAKE go-
ing to the Hidalgo County Bank.
CHARLIE HUPP returning from
Mission. H. T. TIDMORE report-
ing the- insurance business good.
RAY TOLSON proud of his sales on
New Ford cars. MISS THERESA
STRECKFUS going to the post
office. H. B. SEAY returning from
a business trip to Chicago. Former
Attorney-General ROBERT LEE
BOBBITT of Laredo visiting in
Mercedes. JUDGE DAVE GLASS-
COCK returning from Austin. Ed
OLSON and SHELLY COLLIER
leaving for Austin. WALTER
COLLIER discussing legion affairs.
MISS THELMA COOVERT going
to the Green Hat to eat. WATERS’
CAFETERIA installing a big new
front door, Mr. Waters saying that
he wants to help out the govern-
ment in their remodeling program.
Lots of school teachers eating din-
ner at the NEW MANHATTAN
CAFE Sunday. MANAGER DICK
SHARP returning from Corpus
Christi. DR. H. C. ALSTON put-
ting lots of new merchandise on dis-
be sounded at 7:30 o’clock. George
P. Carnes, Mercedes district chair-
man will preside. Troop 40, in
charge of Gilbert Martinez, Scout-
master, will present colors, lead the
pledge to the flag and post colors.
Scout songs will then be led by Nix
Harrington until 7:45 when the na-
tional Scout radio program opens.
The President of the Boy Scouts
of America, Walter Head, will open
the broadcast from the floor of the
giant Scout circus which inaugu-
rates the anniversary week program
in St. Louis. Following Mr. Head’s
MRS. E. H.
a new car.
A report of the progress being
made on all projects now underway
by the Mercedes chamber of com-
merce was given by the directors
and the committee chairmen at a
general membership monthly meet-
ing of that body held in the cham-
ber of commerce offices Monday
afternoon.
One of the most- important pro-
jects underway is the securing of
new business institutions for this
city. In connection with this pro-
ject Frank Hall, chairman of the in-
dustrial committee, has planned a
canvass to be started immediately
to get a list of all available business
buildings or vacant property avail-
able for the location of new indus-
tries. Anyone having any such
property is asked to get in touch
with Mr. Hall and list property giv-
ing rental and optional sale price.
Plans for trades stimulating days
were also discussed Monday after-
noon with a decision being reached
One million Boy Scouts of Ameri-
ca will repeat in unison the Scout
oath and law in a rededication serv-
ice Friday night which will be a
part of the 15 minute national hook-
up broadcast featuring an address
by President Roosevelt and marking
the opening of the week’s celebra-
tion of the 25th anniversary of
Scouting in America. The Scout
program broadcast opens at 7:45 p.
m. Friday evening.
Mercedes Scouts will assemble at
the chamber of commerce office for
their anniversary program Friday
night the buele call to attention to
Thirteen of the Valley’s Water dis-
tricts have selected men to repre-
sent their organizations on a special
committee to aid in the attempt to
get freight rates on Valley produce
lowered to a level comparable with
the rates enjoyed by competing sec-
tions of the United States.
The special committee is being
formed according to a decision
reached at a called meeting of water
district officials held in Mercedes
two weeks ago to discuss plans for
aiding the freight rate case of the
Valley.
As soon as a majority of the dis-
tricts have named representatives a
(See FREIGHT RATE, Page 8)
25 Local Faculty
Members Arttending.
Meeting In Laredo
—--to start bi-monthly trades days next
Poteet Presides At Conven- month and continue them through
the summer.
MONDAY NIGHT the Chamber
of Commerce of Mercedes held a
most interesting meeting with a
large attendance. Secretary Cot
Boling had made a list of all the
projects in which Mercedes is inter-
ested, and an account of them was
worth while; One of the amusing
projects was the rickety, bumpy,
elastic bridge over the canal on
Tenth street, known as the Tenth
street bridge and the bridge to Rio
Rico. Mr. Boling said that Mr. Lear
knew the city didn’t own the bridge
because it is outside the city limits.
He said that Tom Hester said the
county didn’t own the bridge. The
State doesn’t own it. And the offici-
als of the local water ''district claim
they don’t own it, .although it is
bound to belong either to the county
or the water district, said Mr. Bol-
ing. In other words, it is a poor
orphan bridge and it looks it. The
bridge is a disgrace to Mercedes and
our citizenship should not stand for
it. It was suggested that we might
let Bob Kirkpatrick, the popular at-
torney for both the water district
and the county, decide on the real
owner and make him claim it and
put it in shape. Another thing that
Mr. Boling said was that every other
night the streets of Mercedes are
cleaned by a street sweeper, and
then the next morning some of our
merchants sweep their sidewalks and
pour the dirt into the streets. W.
L. Howell, chief of police, asks .that
parents do not permit their children
to ride bicycles on the side walks of
the business section and thus en-
danger the welfare of 'others. Mr.
Howell said that one elderly man in
Mercedes had been badly hurt by a
whizzing bicycle rider on the side-
walks of Texas Avenue.
* * *
GENE BROWN, the car salesman
de luxe, made the most impassioned
speech at the Chamber of Com-
merce meeting. He said: “My
friends, Mercedes wants and must
have a big department store. That
, is Eimlig objective. We don’t care
L_UR HOME, Page 8)
President Roosevelt To Address Scouts Friday
Others In Anniversary Celebration
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Cobb, Moulton. Mercedes News-Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, February 8, 1935, newspaper, February 8, 1935; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1613830/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.